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LEIBNITZ AS A LIBRARIAN. 153 as regards dates as the evidence for the most cele- brated trial known in the courts could be. 1 The best accounts of this dispute as to priority are to be found in Weld's ' History of the Royal Society/ vol. ii, 2 and in the life of Newton in the ' Di6tion- ary of National Biography.^ Mr. G. J. Gray's carefully worked out bibliography of Sir Isaac Newton is also most helpful. 4 A few more words and this study must con- clude. When he was quite a youth Leibnitz compiled his c Nova methodus discendae docendae- que jurisprudentiae,' published at Frankfort in 1668. He wrote it, so it is stated in the 'Elo- gium ' already quoted, c on journeys amidst much disturbance and deprived of books/ He added at the end a catalogue of desiderata in jurisprudence. This singles him out as one of the pioneers in subjedt bibliography. Leibnitz never lived to complete more than one volume of what was to have been his magnum opus namely, the ' History of the House of Bruns- wick.' He died still in harness in the year 1716. But in advanced years he wrote what was his only complete system, the c Essais de Theodicee.' The subjet-matter has been much discussed, and is 1 Even as early as 1712 the whole correspondence relating to the matter, so far as known, was published by the Royal Society under the title of * Commercium Epistolicum.' 2 Weld: 'History of the Royal Society,' vol. ii (1848), pp. 405-33- 3 'Did. Nat. Biogr.' (Art. Sir Isaac Newton), vol. xl. (1894), pp. 385-9. 4 Sir Isaac Newton : * A Bibliography ' (Bibliographical Society), 1907.